how to identify civil war rifles

The majority of Le Mats that actually saw use in battle were produced in France and shipped via the United Kingdom to the Confederacy. [2] Soldiers were often forced to use older smooth bore and flintlock muskets, which had been considered to be obsolete, simply because the newer rifles were not available in sufficient quantities. For non-historic arms experts, it can feel impossible to distinguish one old gun from a centuries-older gun thanks to their general appearances and similar mechanisms. I have a Sharps New Model 1859 rifle barrel. It is suggested by some that the Burnside Carbine was what vaulted Burnside the man to the upper ranks of the Union Army and on to debacles in the Battle of Fredericksburg and the Battle of the Crater. Considered by many to be the premier Mini-style rifled musket of the day, the Pattern 1853 Enfield could readily outperform its counterparts on the battlefield. There was an article in a very recent edition of Man at Arms Collector magazine on shotgun use in the Civil War. Burnside's design eliminated the expulsion of hot gas from the weapon when it was fired by sealing the area between the barrel and the breech. Her ancestors fought for both sides, however, the gun in question arrived to us through her late father who grew up in rural Mississippi (born 1940s) and moved to North Carolina in the 1970s. It was issued to disabled soldiers of the Veteran Reserve Corps very late in the war (April, 1865) and likely was never used in action. [1][3] Previously, historians of the war such as James M. McPherson have argued that the increased range of the rifled musket rendered the Napoleonic tactics with which Civil War commanders continued to fight obsolete and bloody. In April of 2018, a desirable Sharps Model 1853 slant breech percussion carbine sold for $12,650 at auction. p. 26-27, Guelzo,A.C.(2012). [17], An alternative type of rifle ammunition which saw use during the Civil War was the exploding bullet. The Spencer carbine, on the other hand, was widely utilized, with around 90,000 being produced for the war effort. Smooth-bore muskets were cast aside for updated rifled muskets (which still had the same components as a traditional musket but featured boring in the barrels that aided in keeping ammunition going in a straighter, more consistent, line upon exit). In fact, this rifle was the first breechloader ever made in any national armory that fired a primed metallic cartridge. Besides the Henry, no other long gun could provide a shooter with 7 rounds before having to reload. These are a few of the more unique rifles that have documented use during the 19th century conflict. At 56 inches long and weighing nine pounds, the Model 1861 was a single-shot, muzzleloading rifle that used the percussion cap mechanism to fire a .58 caliber Mini ball. In our 2019 May Premier Auction, we sold an excellent conditioned, beautifully casehardened and original blue preserved Spencer Model 1860 rifle for an astounding $48,875. Small shipments of this high caliber percussion rifle were delivered to the United States Armies during the Civil War. There are numerous accounts of Union soldiers connecting shots from just shy of 1,000 yards with the revolutionary Sharps. [20][25] Later in the war, even factory-direct Lorenz rifles tended to be of poor craftsmanship. Nonetheless, Henry and Spencer rifles were used at the December 1864 Battle of Nashville to quite devastating effect. The action was excellent which is more than one can ask for in a gun that is over 150 years old. 10,000 of the muskets were sent to Hall, Carrol and Co and Greenwood and Co, both of Cincinnati, Ohio. Not only is the Sharps perhaps one of the most elegant rifles to come out of the Civil War era, it also performed. With a B.S. The telescopic sights were more accurate, but had a reputation for bruising the user's eye due to the rifle's recoil. Heralded by military historians, American history aficionados, and gun enthusiasts alike, these iconic firearms have transcended their place in history (thanks to the myth making machine of Hollywood cinema) and have become a beloved family heirloom and collection centerpiece today. Allen & Wheelock Drop Breech. The Enfield had a stepped flip up sight, which was adjustable from 100900 yards (91823m) (1,200 yards (1,100m) in later models) in 100 yard increments. So there you have it, the top 7 most desirable Civil War guns for collectors and Civil War enthusiasts alike. The 9-pound, 40-inch-barreled Model 1861 was also a more reliable weapon than preceding military arms through the use of percussion caps. By entering this site you declare This outstanding "finest known" U.S. Army Colt Model 1851 Navy revolver is rated in excellent plus, as issued condition, about as near to mint as possible for a military contract revolver from more than a century and a half ago. It had a rifled barrel, and fired the .58 caliber Mini ball. Civil War rifles like the Springfield Model 1861 musket and Sharps were key elements to battle and are sought-after guns by Civil War memorabilia collectors today, while those who fancy handguns seek out Colt Model 1860 Army or Model 1851 Navy revolvers. As with the Spencer, it provided overwhelming firepower in a conflict dominated by muzzleloaders. A spectacular Civil War U.S. Burnside Fifth Model breech loading saddle ring carbine. While both the Union and Confederate armies had their own standard weapons that they issued to the enlisted, soldiers would frequently bring their own supplies from home with them to the front lines. A popular revolver with both Northern and Southern forces, the Colt Model 1851 Navy was a longstanding Civil War gun that famously is also a hand gun of classic outlaws, Texas rangers, and famed figures of the west like Wild Bill Hickok. The rear sight on this one is very creative, since Leman removed the Austrian rear sight when he converted the weapons. [7] At 500 yards a trained shooter could hit a man-sized target about half the time. The lever action gun could fire off 20 rounds a minute on average making it ten times faster than the traditional muzzleloaders of the time. Whitworth Rifle. The Sharps rifle was a falling block rifle that also used a unique pellet primer feed. 8. To reflect this longer range, the Springfield was fitted with two flip up sights, one set for 300 yards (270m) and the other for 500. Charles Pate found records while researching his book "The Colt Model 1860 Army Revolver" that indicated this revolver was shipped to Colt's New York sales office, a common destination for many of the fluted cylinder Army revolvers. The 38-inch-long rifled barrel made it a very accurate weapon, and it was possible to hit a man sized target with a Mini ball as far away as 500 yards (460m). To determine the height of the unidentified Civil War soldier, an employee of The Horse Soldier store in Gettysburg, Pa . The single-shot rotating-block carbine utilized one of the breakthrough firearms technologies of the time the self-contained cartridge. In a conflict dominated by muzzleloaders and single-shot rifles, the Spencer Repeating Rifle had to have seemed like a godsend. Therefore, you can't always rely on age to be an indicator as to whether a weapon saw action during the Civil War. From the start of the war, the Colt Model 1860 Army took over as the hand gun primarily used by Union forces. army service. The enterprising Confederates adapted these rifles to better suit their needs. . Take a walk down the brick-lined memory lane with these vintage Lego sets. How to classify and identify Civil War rifles like the Henry Repeater. The rifled musket had a 39-inch barrel attached to a walnut stock by three barrel bands, leading it to be called an Enfield three band by some. Serial numbers are a way to pin down an exact date for antique weapons, so long as their manufacturer's historic records are publicly available. The first rifled muskets had used a larger .69 caliber Mini ball, since they had simply taken .69 caliber smooth bore muskets and rifled their barrels. Some guns made in Belgium were proofed and sold as English as they would bring better money. There were nevertheless drawbacks to these weapons, as early breechloaders leaked gas at the breech and repeaters were technically complex and required metallic cartridges which could be unreliable. Another had identified it as Austrian: Muster 1842 k.k. Besides being known for his poor generalship, stylish facial hair and being the first president of the NRA, Ambrose Burnside was also a firearms innovator. Jackson had little luck with sales of the carbine until the Civil War broke out. Flag images indicative of country of origin and not necessarily primary operator. However, it was the invention of the Mini ball which ultimately solved the problem of the slow-loading rifle. The rifle was used as early as the Battle of Shiloh in 1862 and was a staple long gun through to the final battles of the war. When the American Civil War broke out in April 1861, neither the North (about 360,000 small arms) nor the South (about 240,000) had enough weapons to fight a major war. In fact, antique gun collectors come in all shapes and sizes. Calibre .577, Cosmopolitan, rifled. I don't know anything about your "rifle" except to tell you that it is NOT a rifle, it is a double barreled shotgun. This may not be a true Sharps, but the historically relevant and rare nature of a Confederate-made copy made this a popular item. The Civil War witnessed a technological revolution in weaponry. The last one I did had printing on it . I HAVE I HEAVY BARREL TARGET RIFLE FROM THE CIVIL WAR. army weapons were often marked with unit markings on the barrels, butt plates, or side plates. These differences made it easy to operate from horseback with accuracy, and this accuracy is what inspired the English term, "sharpshooter." [18], This collection contain smoothbore flintlocks converted into percussion muskets, some with their barrels rifled, Contract carbines as they were known at that time: Cosmopolitan, Sharps, Gallager, Smith and Burnside, Joslyn, Starr, Lindner, Warner, Maynard and Merrill carbines, Model 1816, Model 1842 and Model 1855 muskets, Confederate Richmond musket (top) along with U.S. Model 1861, British Pattern 1853 Enfield, U.S. Model 1861 muskets and Sharps rifle, Here is a number of Springfield Model 1861 contract rifles produced elsewhere except Springfield. [13][14] Cost was also an issue: in an era where a soldier earned $10-13 a month and a rifled musket might cost $10-20 to manufacture, a repeating rifle might cost $37-65 to manufacture. If it was manufactured between 1860-1864, chances are pretty high that it was used in some capacity in the war. Even with this flaw, the Burnside went on to become the third most used carbine of the war, behind the Sharps and Spencer, seeing action in nearly every battle in the conflict. It is a nice family heirloom, Congratulations! E. Remington & Sons on June 13, 1862, entered into two Army contracts. During the American Civil War, the rifle was the most common weapon found on the battlefield. The American Civil War of 1861-1865 relied on many different kinds of firearms during the years-long progression of the conflict. Another new characteristic of this war, for all the enduring need for artillery, is the primacy of precision weapons over the major military platforms that have dominated the battlefield for more . $1,398.00. If . Unfortunately for the lucky Confederate troops who happened to capture these rifles from Union soldiers, there wasn't an easy way to access the special ammunition that the guns required. This is a good price for a scarce and desirable gun. The conical projectile, developed by French Army officer Claude-Etienne Mini in 1849, delivered before then unheard-of accuracy to military long guns. Very few Burnside rifles can be found still in this excellent of condition. Case shot was an anti-personnel projectile, meaning it was used against soldiers. All rights reserved. I can't tell from the pictures if the barrels are Damascus or not. Advances in firearms technology were quickly progressing in the mid-1800s making for some seriously well designed and powerful arms development during the Civil War. Spencer rifles were the first successful repeater used in the United States. 25,000 tube-lock Austrian M1842 muskets were imported via the firm of Kruse, Drexel, and Schmidt, out of a total of 68,505 Austrian muskets imported by the North during the war. The old gal looks rode hard and put away wet. Starting in 1850 and throughout the Civil War, roughly 100,000 Sharps carbines were produced for military use.
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